"Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't."
- Lady Macbeth

✧

Rustle.

Silence. Cordelia remained deathly-still in the branches with Mikazuki strapped to her waist. It was not necessarily the best hunting tool but today, she had ventured into a magical forest to test out the capabilities of her new Armament. She eyed her prey who was cautiously feeding on its meal.

A Blizzard King Tiger. Adult. Out of its habitat, most likely due to another predator, and unfamiliar with the environment. Anxious. In peak physical condition. This information was deciphered by Cordelia by observing it for half an hour. Even with all of that information, she could not take it head-on.

'I have a new Armament now but without a Raiment, I won't be able to break that bottleneck.'

Armaments and Raiments were gear that made up the majority of the world's top fighting powers. Only the rich and powerful could afford and wear these expensive items and Cordelia was lucky to have a blacksmith that could forge them. Armaments were weapons while Raiments were armour. If you had both pieces of gear resonating with each other, your strength would reach new heights. However, it was extremely rare as even Armaments and Raiments made from the same creator had a slim chance of resonating.

It should be noted that one's personal strength still made up the majority of their power. 

Drip.

A bead of sweat dripped from her forehead, falling onto the thick branch below her. In an instant, the Blizzard King Tiger whipped its head around to face her elevated her position and bore its vicious fangs. A hiss erupted from its fleshy throat, taking a cautious approach since it was unaware of the threat's identity. When only a young human girl appeared from behind the foliage, the beast's vigilance only increased. How could a juvenile human get so close without it noticing? 

In the wild, one must never judge by appearance. What appears to be your next dinner in one moment could become your doom in the next. All hunters, whether it be beast or Cordelia herself, knew this rule. Now that she was exposed, the Duke quickly retreated, knowing that if any attack of the Blizzard King Tiger could cripple her. Her weak, unawakened body was no match for its trained and honed physique.

Taking chase, the roles had been flipped as the tiger was now the hunter and Cordelia was the prey. Weaving in and out of the trees, she sliced thick trunks of wood to slow her pursuer but it was of little use. It simply bounded over the falling wooden titans, gaining more and more speed as time went by. 

Were it a normal person, they would be panicking out of their mind right now. But Cordelia? Her mind was calm. Like an undisturbed lake. The surface of the water was flat with no ripples at all. Panicking was taboo in this situation, a fact that was hammered into her after countless days of training in several locations around the continent. The Polar North, where even hell's flames would hesitate to raise trouble. The mysterious jungle of Azam, where hundreds if not thousands of undiscovered species of Magical Beast lay in wait. Even the Dragon Dens of the Crescent Continent, which were filled with some of the most powerful Magical Beasts in the world, she had trained on the far, far outskirts of such places. For a 13-year-old girl, it was truly an exceptional feat.

One could call her extreme as she was cutting extremely close to death with each journey but in Cordelia's eyes, it was all necessary. 

'In order to survive, you must kill.'

She closed her eyes briefly in contemplation. Many times had she realised the hypocrisy of her actions. She detested human murder but felt nothing with killing other living, breathing organisms. 

'I am still too soft...'

This time, her cardinal red eyes flashed open, filled with a ruthlessness that could send chills down a seasoned veteran's spine. Decisively jumping onto a higher branch, she allowed the Blizzard King Tiger to close the distance drastically until its claws were just within arms reach. They shone off the surface of the sun, glinting into her dilated pupils as she turned to face the beast which was mid-jump.

'Closer.'

It came closer. Her thumb pushed Mikazuki out of its sheathe.

'Closer.'

It still came closer. Cordelia's right hand was firmly wrapped around the handle. 

...

'Now!'

In one swift movement, she simultaneously dodged the flying claws and slashed the tiger down in one move. Her skill with iaijutsu was displayed right her as Mikazuki flawlessly slid out of its Abyssal Wood scabbard and took its first life. The Blizzard King Tiger had no time to scream its death throes as their head flew in the air.

Cordelia exhaled softly, glancing at the Armament in her hand. It was unblemished, protected by the razor-thin layer of mana that had coated it right before the slash. Unlike her blood-splattered face, it still looked as new and beautiful as ever. Anyone else would be shocked at the ease and grace of the kill. Efficient. Simple. Quick. Yet, Cordelia felt no satisfaction or fulfilment in the result. Previously, killing a Magical Beast of that calibre wouldn't have been so easy but the Duke knew that it was all due to her new Armament. She didn't feel like her skill had increased in any way, shape or form. This sense of emptiness had been plaguing her for nearly a year now. 

'Big brother's suggestion to attend Praestantia Academy may be right.'

Even if her skill or technique didn't rise in any meaningful way, Cordelia continued to depopulate the forest to test out the sharpness of her blade, continuing on for hours on end. It was also to get rid of the dullness in her muscles from days of paperwork. 

✧

The Imperial Court. It was the highest decision-making body within the Escadan Empire, comprised mostly of powerful heads of noble houses and government officials. Headed by the Emperor, it was the pure congregation of power, wealth and strength. Every month, the Imperial Court would convene to discuss problems that the Empire faced, create legislations, pass laws and debate about many topics. 

Due to the nature of the Imperial Court, most of the participants were old and venerated, exuding auras of dignity and experience. One young man stood out like a sore thumb. Or rather, a boy. His face framed with midnight locks, the boy's hair was immaculate and gave him a clean and prim appearance. His defining features were his piercing scarlet pupils that bore a frightening resemblance to that of his sibling. These eyes alone gave the siblings a notorious reputation, let alone their rather off-putting temperament.

Walker Auster, unlike his younger sister, had an everpresent smile on his unusually roguish, handsome face. At first glance, it was genuinely amiable and warm, making many of his opponents automatically let down their guards. Dozens of maidens had been captivated by this same smile that scared merchants and older nobles alike. Indeed, it was all merely a facade. Playing pig to eat the tiger, Walker posed as what seemed like a harmless youth but was actually one of the most cunning, scheming participants in the Imperial Court. 

The two dukes of Auster had their own strengths and weaknesses as they governed over their own aspect of the dukedom. The younger sister fought against the long-standing enemies of the Empire while the older brother skilfully warded off hungry wolves who were supposed to be their countrymen. When the Emperor formally announced that there would be two dukes lording over the Auster Household, there was initially outrage. After all, this was a precedent that had never been seen before in the centuries-old history of the Escadan Empire, as well as the fact that at that time, both Cordelia and Walker were just children. However, the siblings quickly proved that the Emperor's decision was truly wise.

Achievements racked up. Cordelia's war merits spoke for themselves and Walker, while more obscure, had definitely earned the grudging respect of his competitors.

"Recent movements have been detected in the neighbouring Hou Dynasty and Mak'arim Theocracy. Although it is not confirmed, we suspect that they are both cooperating on a joint strike on our northern borders this year, seeing how they haven't invaded as of yet."

At times, the Emperor or one of his representatives would present a report or topic matter to the Imperial Court if he felt it was important enough to warrant such an action. This was one of those times.

There was an unspoken agreement between the northeastern nations about the rising giant that was the Escadan Empire. Afraid of the radical and expansionist Crown Prince who was in a prime position to inherit the throne, they decided to harass the Empire annually to use up their resources and dry up their treasury. It was a good tactic... were it not for the Auster Household standing in the way. Funded and supported by the nearby noble households as well as the Imperial Family, the Auster Household was capable of fending off their armies. Infighting was not uncommon in high society but nobles would unite in the face of a common enemy.

Many turned to face Walker as this problem was obviously pertaining to his own household. Simply closing his eyes, he nodded towards the intelligence operative to carry on.

"We estimate that this year will be harder than usual, with a gathered army of approximately 45,000 soldiers. The losses will be heavy, Your Grace."

The black-clothed operative didn't bother to hide his target of speech as he bowed respectfully to Walker. 

"The Auster Household is already aware of the potential danger. This is a sacrifice that we are willing to take for the Escadan Empire. Please do not feel sorry for us."

A hint of mockery flashed in Walker's eyes before closing them and smiling kindly. Goading his sister and her soldiers into fighting another war, did they think he didn't know? Discreetly glancing at the Emperor, he crossed off a few names in his heart. 

'Within the next few months, these people and their household will vanish from the face of these lands.'

Nobles weren't particularly hard to destroy for Walker. All of them had skeletons in their closet that they didn't want the world to see. Ruining them socially was easy for him. 

Different from most of the noble households in the Empire, the Austers were stuck in a grey area. They didn't belong to any of the political factions and the Emperor had a surprisingly lackadaisical attitude to them. This meant that nobles could deride and make fun of them however they wanted without fear of offending any powerful backers. Nor did Walker retaliate in any visible way. Jealousy and envy propelled their actions as they convinced themselves that they were better than this 'fallen' ducal house.

The meeting carried on for another hour uneventfully as more mundane topics were brought up by the Militant Faction as well as the Second Prince's. Barbed wires laced every sentence, both sides trying to fence with words. Truly, it was mundane. 

Fixing the sleeves of his ink-black robes, Walker calmly exited the hall. A sharp, angular jaw and pronounced facial features were already beginning to form as he grew older. Even with his slightly immature appearance, he caused heartthrobs everywhere. It was for this reason that many arrogant noble sons naively found trouble with him, believing that they were far worthier of a lady's attention.

"Hmph, it will be great if those countries flatten your cities. Then the Empire can finally show the might of our real armies."

It was uncommon to see such a brainless noble speaking in such an unfiltered fashion, not bothering to hide the venom in their voice. Good entertainment couldn't be found anywhere so passersby quirked their ears or discreetly stood close enough to hear the conversation.

Witnessing this, Harveld puffed his chest out in smugness. By tomorrow, all of the ladies would know how he humiliated the oh-so-handsome Walker Auster today!

"Isn't it embarrassing that your little sister is the one fighting? Shouldn't you protect her as the older sibling and a man?"

Harveld's companion, Faide, coldly glared at Walker. Unlike Harveld, he didn't have such nefarious intentions; he had a skewed sense of chivalry and old-fashioned views cultivated by his family. But it was true that his pride as a man had been overwhelmed and injured by Walker's outstanding brilliance as someone of the same generation. Hearing remarks from not only other nobles but his own family about how he 'couldn't even compare to Walker Auster' was infuriating.

'Annoying...'

Walker slowly turned his head around, not bothering to turn his entire body. Immediately, his placid aura morphed into a demon. In the eyes of Harveld and Faide, everything around them turned dark with only Walker standing in front of them. The epitome of malevolence, the ethereal form of a dark, purple wraith rose from the boy's body. Only white circles could be seen for its eyes as it loomed over the two's stunned bodies.

RUN.

LEAVE.

GO.

Their instincts screamed bloody murder, louder than it had ever before. All they knew that this boy was dangerous. He was not to be trifled with. Coldness flooded their veins as Harveld fainted on the spot and Faide lost all strength in his body. Huffing quietly, Walker turned back around and left the building entirely. All they could remember was that hallucination... and those eyes. Those eyes are...

'...so beautiful yet so terrifying.'

Shiro thought so as he greeted his master, Walker. He had witnessed everything that had happened inside the hallway from the door, not pitying those noble sons in the slightest. Normally, his master would have a semblance of civility and exchange a few words before crushing them completely but today, he was in a bad mood.

"Is there anything wrong today, Your Grace?"

They had boarded their personal carriage and would be making their way back to the to their residence in the Imperial Capital, Escar. After that, they would travel back to the dukedom via griffin, a rare magical beast that could fly faster than any other man-made transportation method. 

Walker's famous smile was not present. Despite the window shutters having been closed, the Duke was leaning his arm on the ledge, supporting his head which was staring right into those closed window shutters. It was obvious that the teenager was brooding about something. This was accentuated even further by the fact that he was remaining silent. No other sign could give off the same vibes as this. Shiro's twin sister, Kuro, also mentioned that her mistress also had similar bouts of anger where she would stay deathly silent.

Only minutes later did Walker talk.

"Shiro, wouldn't it be a shame if there was an uprising from the noble houses, only to fail and then have 9 generations of their households executed?"

Both smiled dangerously.

---

2534 words
Written 06/10/20 (DD/MM/YY)